Staff Movements Affecting the Transport Industry Announced This Week

WORLDWIDE – The recent appointment of Peter Adams, head of maritime security at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to the post of special advisor to the Secretary-General comes at a crucial time. Since the days when pirates and buccaneers roamed the high seas, never has the threat to merchant shipping been greater.

Adams has been working already at the IMO Maritime Safety Division but now is to advise on the panoply of threats ranging from those olden day type crimes of robbery and kidnap at sea to cyber-attacks of every hue, drug smuggling and any other nefarious activities perpetuated on the industry.

GERMANY – Yet another crack appeared in the glass ceiling this week after 114 years of men only control the German Shipowners’ Association (VDR) elected the first woman president in its 114-year history. Gaby Bornheim, managing director of Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG takes the chair as Captain Alfred Hartmann steps down as planned after six years.

Frau Bornheim has a doctorate in law and has promised to face up to the challenges facing the industry including attracting more young talent to the sector and decarbonisation. She stated that the past months had demonstrated the real need for a well functioning shipping arena.

GERMANY – The new logistics facility in Gelsenkirchen being opened by Imperial, and mentioned in our ‘Snippets’ article today, is to see Marco Averesch, previously Warehouse Manager in the nearby Herten facility, take over operational responsibility for the Gelsenkirchen site, while Patrick König will be in overall charge of both Herten and Gelsenkirchen.

US – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently appointed six new surface transportation industry leaders to serve on the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee (STSAC). The TSA Modernization Act of 2018 required TSA to establish the committee to advise the TSA Administrator on surface transportation security matters. The new STSAC appointees are:

Jared Cassity— Chief of Safety and Alternate National Legislative Director, SMART Transportation; Peter Grandgeorge—National Security and Resiliency Advisor, Berkshire Hathaway Energy; Brian Harrell—Vice President & Chief Security Officer, AVANGRID; Norma Krayem—Vice President, Chair, Cybersecurity, Privacy & Digital Innovation Practice Group, Van Scoyoc Associates; Robert Mims—Director, Technology Security, Nuclear, and Electric Security Operations / CISO Southern Company Gas and Lowell Williams—Director, Cybersecurity Operations, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

US – The American Airlines Group has announced Doug Parker will retire as chief executive officer of American Airlines on March 31, 2022. Robert Isom, currently president of American, will succeed him. Isom also will join the airline’s board of directors on that same date, and Parker will continue to serve as chairman of American’s board.

Isom, who was named president in 2016, has more than 30 years of global industry and leadership experience previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at American after holding the same position at US Airways. Prior to joining US Airways, he held senior executive operations, finance and commercial roles at GMAC, LLC., Northwest Airlines and America West Airlines.

Previously, Parker was Chairman and CEO of US Airways. Under his leadership, US Airways achieved record revenue growth, operational performance and profit margins that outpaced most industry peers. Before the merger of US Airways and America West Airlines in 2005, Parker was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of America West.

US – The American Trucking Associations tells us John Lynch, senior vice president of federation relations and industry affairs, has been named president of the ATA Trucking Cares Foundation, the trucking industry’s charitable arm. In addition to the change in leadership, the Foundation is announcing a new fundraising drive, the Trucking Cares Foundation Founders Club, challenging members of the trucking community to commit to the Foundation today, and into the future, by pledging to donate $100,000 over the next decade. For more information click HERE.

UK – Law firm Watson Farley & Williams (WFW), which is heavily involved in maritime financing matters, has elected George Paleokrassas and Lindsey Keeble as new Senior Partner and Managing Partner respectively for a five-year term beginning in February 2022. Their appointments form part of a new leadership and governance structure for WFW endorsed by the firm’s partnership, replacing the previous model led by joint Managing Partners and a Chairman.

Paleokrassas has led the firm’s Athens office since 2005, building the office up to make it the largest international law firm in Greece and in the top five overall, and is the only lawyer listed in top legal directory Chambers & Partners’ elite ‘eminent practitioner’ category for shipping finance in Greece. Keeble heads up the firm’s London Assets & Structured Finance Group covering aviation, maritime and rail. and was named ‘Shipping and Maritime Lawyer of the Year’ at Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Awards (WIBLA) 2021.

UK – Virgin Atlantic Cargo has appointed Phil Wardlaw as its new Vice President and Managing Director. Phil has been at Virgin Atlantic for 17 years and during this time has held numerous leadership roles within the Operations and Engineering teams, culminating as VP Engineering & Maintenance in 2017. Phil succeeds Dominic Kennedy, who takes on the role of Senior Vice President Revenue Management, Distribution & Holidays role at the airline in January 2022.

UK – As reported in this week’s ‘Snippets’, Shears Bros. (Transport) Ltd has opened a new facility in Bournemouth and this coincides with the appointment of a new General Manager, Mark Houghton, who joined the business in November 2021 bringing with him vast experience in the logistics industry from his time handling returns for some of the UK’s top online retailers and running service centres for a national courier.

UK – The City Security Council has announced the appointment of Ashley Fernandes as its new chairman with effect from 1 January 2022. Fernandes succeeds Neill Catton (managing director at London-based CIS Security), who has served as chairman throughout 2021. Executive director for corporate security at ICTS UK and Ireland, Fernandes boasts upwards of 24 years’ experience of working at all levels within the security and risk management arenas and across the commercial, retail, Government and aviation sectors for the EMEA region.

Currently a serving Magistrate, Fernandes is also a Committee Member of the City of London Crime Prevention Association, a Fellow of (and Global Advisory Council Member for) the Institute of Strategic Risk Management, a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals, a Trustee of The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals; Charitable Trust and a member of both The Security Institute and ASIS International’s UK Chapter.

The Council links together leading commercial security interests representing those in the industry and works together to support the emergency authorities in the event of any major security incident in the City of London.

UK – WORLDWIDE – The announcement this week from IAG, the airline group that numbers BA, Iberia and Aer Lingus amongst its subsidiaries, that is intends to recruit up to 500 staff for the enhancement of its cargo operations, has been met with cynicism in some quarters.

The employment drive, scheduled for the next 12 months is intended to reinforce the 2,000 plus employees currently working on freight operations but critics, including the Unite union have pointed out this move only goes a small way toward replenishing the staff laid off during the coronavirus epidemic.

Photo: L to R. American Airlines Robert Isom and Doug Parker.